He died on a Tuesday
by lonegungal17
Summary: Sheldon died on a Tuesday but is he really dead? Written for Paradox's Fiction Friday.


It was a Tuesday, when Penny found out Sheldon had died. The boys had come into the Cheesecake Factory, for there normal Tuesday dinner and Sheldon was no where to be seen.

'Hey guys, where's Sheldon?' Penny asked pulling out her note pad and pen to take their order.

Leonard looked at the table playing with his napkin, he knew as the de facto leader of the group, he should be the one to tell Penny but how could he? He was relieved when he heard Howard's voice.

'There was an accident today,' Howard said looking at the other guys before continuing, 'in Sheldon's lab.'

'What is he hurt?' she shouted throwing her pad and pen down on the table.

'We didn't know how to tell you but knew you were working tonight, so figured now was the best time as any.'

'Is he in the hospital? We can go see him, if I need to leave. I'll tell my boss.'

Leonard swallowed and regained the power of speech, 'Sheldon is dead.'

Penny stepped away from the table and turned away from the boys, holding her fingers to the bridge of her nose to stop crying, 'you can't be serious,' she said to the naked air in front of her.

'I wish I was,' Leonard assured her, 'he was in the lab and there was an explosion. They couldn't find his body but he was signed into the lab's timetable and hasn't been seen since.'

'So you don't really know he's dead,' Penny turned back to the boys with tears running down her face.

'Penny, we're sure,' Howard interrupted, 'he hasn't been seen since the explosion and we all know Sheldon always follows his time table.'

'But you didn't see his body?' Penny shouted rubbing her forehead, 'why did you come down here, tell me Sheldon is dead, when you didn't even see his body?'

Howard shrugged, 'we were hoping to get dinner, while we were here.'

'You assholes,' she screamed slapping Howard across the mouth, 'Sheldon was my friend and I thought he was you're friend too.'

Penny's manager ran to the scene, 'Penny, what the hell? You can't hit customers'

'These asshats just told me my best friend is dead,' Penny pointed at the boys table.

'You still can't hit a customer, even if they give you bad news,' her manager corrected her; 'dessert is on the Cheesecake Factory guys for Penny's behavior.'

'Forget this,' Penny said untying her apron and throwing it to the ground, 'I quit,' she told them storming out of the Cheesecake Factory.

Penny drove home in a rage, how could those people have been Sheldon's friends. He had told her she was his best friend and now she could see why, if this is how his so called friends reacted on his death. She was surprised they hadn't started dancing on his grave yet, even if they had no body to put in it.

Penny climbed the four flights of stairs with tears still running down her face, wishing she had a ground floor apartment to save her self the embarrassment of passing her neighbors in tears. She just wanted her bed, to fall asleep and dream Sheldon was still alive and healthily across the hall.

She opened her door and nearly fainted when her eyes came in contact with his blue ones, 'Sheldon,' she whispered.

She didn't bother pulling her key from the door nor closing it, instead she just ran to him and wrapped her arms around his lean frame, 'oh my god,' she whispered over and over laying her head against his chest as she felt his body stiffen under her. 'You're alive,' she told him as if he wasn't aware of the fact.

'I know, Penny,' he assured her, 'I had hoped the boys hadn't told you yet. That's why I waited for you here.'

'What do you mean?' she asked gripping his thermal tightly.

Sheldon fought off her grip and pulled away, 'let me close the door and I'll explain everything.'

Penny nodded sitting down on the sofa watching Sheldon's every move, she silently assured her self, 'he was real, not a ghost and not a figment of her imagination. He was real, she had felt him. He was warm, aloof and hated being touched by other people, he was her Sheldon.'

Sheldon sat down next to her not bothering to search for the optimum spot, 'he must be serious,' she thought.

Sheldon reached out take her hand, an unsheldon like move but she welcomed the warmth of his fingers, 'I am sorry, the guys told you I was dead, Penny. I couldn't trust them, only you Penny, which is why I am here.'

'I was so upset,' Penny told him letting her tears fall once more, 'they weren't even bothered. They told me at the Cheesecake Factory and still expected me to be their waitress and bring them their dinner. They are asshats.'

Sheldon nodded, 'asshats does seem to be the correct term. It seems I made the right decision by not trusting them with my secret.'

'I hit Howard,' Penny told him showing him her bruised hand, 'and lost my job for it but it was worth it,' she giggled.

Sheldon nodded, 'you really are my best friend. That is why you are the only one I can trust to know I am still alive. Someone tried to kill me today and I don't know who. It could be the government, terrorists or even Wil Wheaton.'

Penny looked at her knees, 'what will you do?'

'Go to Texas, tell my mother I am okay and go on the lam. There is no telling how far someone will go to kill me. My mind is too important to science.'

'You're leaving me again?' she asked him knowing the answer.

'I have to Penny, we both know that but you are an excellent actress and will be able to keep my secret,' Sheldon assured her.

'I already lost you once today…' Penny told him looking up at his face as he tried to tell her goodbye, 'I might never see you again.'

'I'm sorry, it has to be this way,' Sheldon told her starting to rise, 'I'll be fine I have money and I'm sure I'll find somewhere suitable to hide out.'

Penny jumped up from the couch and grabbed his chin tightly pulling him down to her level so her lips could touch his. Shocked by her movement but entranced by her taste, Sheldon gripped her small frame and pulled her against him. Her arms left his chin and webbed around his neck, trying to get as close to him as possible. Sheldon took his queue and pulled her legs around his midsection, he would never admit it to her face but this was his real reason for coming back from the dead. One kiss from Penny would always be worth risking your life for in his books.

After minutes she pulled away from his lips, she still had her legs wrapped around him when she told him, 'you can't leave me.'

Sheldon lowered her to the ground. She was playing with his heart, ripping it into the a million pieces, before they both knew he had to go forever.

Penny smiled up at him, watching him consider the situation, 'I can't let you leave me either,' she told him, 'that's why I'm going with you.'

Sheldon stared at her in disbelief, 'you can't give up your life for me.'

'I have nothing,' Penny shrugged, 'a failed acting career, I just lost my job at the Cheesecake Factory and my only real friend just died in an explosion. I don't think I have much reason to stay. Plus I'm not losing the one good thing in my life for the second time in one day.'


End file.
